This 5 minute YouTube video provides a simple explanation of autism created for parents and teachers to share with students. Simple animations demonstrate how the brains of autistic persons receive information differently. The video also offers simple tips for supporting those with autism. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable. You could always view the video at home and bring it to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as Freemake Video Converter, reviewed here, to download the video from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Share this short video with your class as part of any discussions on autism. Stop the video at different points along the way to discuss the information and develop knowledge of how to understand and work with autistic students. Consider giving all students a chance to voice their opinions (even the shy and quiet ones) by using a tool like Backchannel Chat, reviewed here. Backchannel Chat is an easy tool to manage if you are starting the process of integrating technology into your classroom. If you and your students are more advanced with technology, you may want to use a tool such as Vibby, reviewed here, where you AND your students can annotate, highlight, and ask questions or make observations about the content of the video. This video is also perfect for use during staff meetings as an introduction to considering tools and guidelines for working with autistic students. Include a link to this video on your class webpage to share with parents.

Raise.me offers students the opportunity to start earning micro-scholarship money from over 200 colleges and universities as early as 9th grade. After signing up students add their achievements including grades, sports involvement, and volunteer activities to their portfolio. Participating colleges award small scholarships when you attend their school.

In the Classroom

Share Raise.me with high school students as an opportunity for earning scholarship money. Feature this site in lessons with middle and high school students as an example of activities that earn scholarship money and increase the likelihood of acceptance to chosen colleges and universities. For students who haven't chosen a preferred school, Raise.me provides an opportunity to learn more about different colleges through those that offer the most scholarship money based on students' activities and interests.

The Ultimate Parent's Guide to Internet Safety is a comprehensive infographic providing facts on the use of the Internet by children. Scroll through the page to learn about the use of mobile devices and the Internet beginning with kids as young as one-year-old. Continue down the page to learn about the most popular social media sites, the amount of time typically spent online by children, and typical use of the Internet by teens. Other information provides tips for knowing when teens are in trouble online due to cyberbullying or misuse of the Internet. This infographic is also available in PDF format or copy and paste the embed code to post on your web page.

In the Classroom

This site contains valuable information to share with parents and students. Include a link to the site on your class webpage and consider sharing during Open House events. Share with your school's guidance counselor. View this site with students on an interactive whiteboard. Ask them to use an online poster creator, such as Padlet, reviewed here, to share additional Internet safety tips and information. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create weekly or monthly podcasts sharing Internet safety tips. Use a tool such as podOmatic, reviewed here.

This editor's choice curated list of reviewed resources focuses on digital citizenship. Explore topics such as: protecting your digital footprint, protecting your identity, 'netiquette, and much more. Find varying levels of information for different age groups and materials to help parents cooperate in educating their children about digital citizenship.

In the Classroom

Use this entire collection or simply select the best ones for YOUR students to continually model good digital citizenship. Share the links with parents and among your colleagues so you can promote positive action instead of fear about the Internet.

Hosted by an Internet marketing company that understands the importance of children's safety online, this extensive collection of articles, infographics, and links should encourage conversations with kids about Internet safety. Sure to be helpful for parents and teachers because of practical steps to improve online experiences for children; plus everything is free to use, print and share. Find resources organized in two areas: Internet safety tips for children and parent safety and Internet monitoring resources. The one-page articles are text heavy, so this site will be most useful with older teens. Areas covered include the usual topics, but also include some not so often covered: Kids' Online Personas & Activity, Internet Video Safety Tips for Kids, Internet Game Safety Tips for Kids, Internet Radio Safety Tips for Kids, and A True or False: Internet Safety Facts for Kids. Parental Internet Monitoring Resources provide a helpful compilation of parents' essential information. These include Cyber Bullying Prevention, Digital Parental Controls, Laws and Organizations for Kids Online, Online Stranger Danger: Stop Internet Stalkers, Protecting Financial & Personal Information, Safe Browser Settings for Kids, Social Media Safety Tips for Kids, and Monitoring Your Kids Internet Usage.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use "A True or False: Internet Safety Facts for Kids" as pre or post assessment or discussion starter. Project the infographics for students and/or parents to introduce or summarize a topic. Since information is mostly text, except for two infographics, use the articles for informational text reading selections. Have students discuss or write responses.The articles will make useful resources for a parent information night, to send home in newsletters, or to post on school websites. The pages are embedded into the SearchRPM website, so it can be easy to stray into the corporate side. Also, there is a very large contact box that seems related to business inquiries at the bottom margin of each page.

Choose2Matter invites people to discover that what they do matters and to take action on their dreams and passions. Download the free ebook Genius Matters: A Framework For
Epic Transformation. Find the First 20 Days as a guide to students becoming mentors and role models in their community. See the Manifesto challenging students to acknowledge and use the gifts and strengths within them.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Share this site with students as an example of how they can learn to take power over their lives and recognize their strengths. After reading and discussing the manifesto, have students upload a photo they have taken and add voice bubbles with their personal manifesto using a tool such as Superlame, reviewed here. Genius Matters has two lessons that feature Thrively, which helps students discover and explore their passion. See the TeachersFirst review of Thrively, here.

Help yourself and others stay safe online with tips and information from YouthSpark Online Safety. Get advice for protecting things important to you such as your reputation and money. Learn online safety tips for dealing with strangers, sharing photographs, and protecting passwords. This site also includes short quizzes and suggestions for managing online sharing.

In the Classroom

This site is perfect to incorporate into any digital citizenship lessons or to share during the first week of school! Share information and a link to this article with parents through your class newsletter or class website. Share this site with school counselors as a resource for teens facing online safety issues. Have students make a multimedia presentation using Swipe, reviewed here.'''?Older students can share their presentation with younger students to teach them about online safety.

Comments

Great tech resource to use with your students!Ladisha, VA, Grades: 0 - 12

This is NBC Learn's Spanish-language version of the Parent Toolkit,
reviewed here (English version). The Parent Toolkit provides an informative guide to child development from pre-K through High School. Videos offer information and advice for parents and teachers.

In the Classroom

Share the Parent Toolkit with parents as an excellent resource for information on education and parenting. Create a link to the appropriate grade level information on your class webpage to help parents understand developmental guidelines for their student.

Public School Review provides information about public school systems and individual schools around the United States. Choose your state and nearest large city to begin or use the keyword search to locate any area desired. Learn about public schools nearby as well as available charter, private, and preK offerings. Information includes total students, teacher/student ratio, diversity statistics, free lunch percentages, and more. Our editors noticed some inconsistencies in this tool. So while it is useful, you may want to use it along with another similar site.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Share information about your school with parents during school visits. Have students compare and contrast schools within your district. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast information. Take it further and have students brainstorm ideas on why there are differences between schools and propose changes to provide equity.

Mindset is the accompanying website to the book of the same name and offers guidance on achieving a growth mindset. Learn about How Mindset Affects Success with specific information for parents, teachers, and coaches. Other links allow you to Test Your Mindset; find out how to Change Your Mindset through four simple steps.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use information from this site to help change negative mindsets and promote growth mindsets. Share ideas with parents through your class website or newsletter. Take one of the four ideas for changing mindsets to use as a focus for a month at a time school-wide. Share information with peers during professional development sessions.

Find an easy to use, interactive fire safety guide. The guide includes the best ways to prevent fires in each of the rooms of the house, as well as common causes of house fires. Learn how to protect your loved ones, including children and pets. Gather information about what to do during and after a fire.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Using this easy to follow website, students can gather information about fire safety, prevention and what to do if a fire occurs. Use with older students and have them share their learning with younger students to creating an authentic audience.

Making the Grade is the weekly online accompaniment to the PBS series of the same title exploring issues in education from preK through higher education. Scroll down the page to view segment titles and a short description of the content. Click the link to see the transcript, watch the video, or listen to the podcast. Each resource also includes links to additional information. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use information from this site as part of your ongoing professional development and discussion within your school and district regarding educational issues. Have debate students use this site as a resource for topics or to find information for their viewpoint in a debate. Challenge students to read articles and write about how they would address the issues if placed in a position of power. Challenge students to create a multimedia presentation representing their viewpoint using Zeetings, reviewed here. Zeetings' features allow for audience participation, polls, video, embeds, and more.

This collection of free streaming videos, mostly under six minutes, supports school curriculum using material from NBC News, one of the largest news archives in the world. Topics include language arts, humanities and social sciences, and parenting information. The majority of videos feature STEM content. Specific sample topics include: Mysteries of the Brain, Writers Speak to Kids, Science of NFL Football, and many others. All videos include transcripts. Some have lesson plans and/or activities which are available in a side tab in the video window when launched. Most have closed captioning, and a few have a Spanish language option. The majority of NBC Learn, the educational arm of NBC News, is fee-based. This review is for the free material.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

This site is perfect for flipped or blended learning classrooms but will spark interest in most classroom lessons. Use the search box in the upper right corner to find free content of interest. NBC Learn uses a proprietary media player "Cue Card," and provides suggestions if you are having trouble playing. The whole class can watch the videos, many of which are parts of a series. Have individuals or small groups view and share information. The transcripts and close captioning will be helpful for struggling learners. Transcripts can be used alone for informational text reading practice.

The Mindset Kit is a large compilation of resources for parents and teachers for teaching and developing growth mindsets. Based on the book, Mindset, by Carol Dweek, these lessons and activities provide tools for developing positive mindsets, in turn, leading to increased academic performance. Choose the section for teachers to find seven lessons for educator teams, or take advantage of ten lessons for parents to learn about growth mindset and how to instill this in students. Other portions contain ideas for specific content areas and mentors.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the many lessons and ideas on this site in your classroom and when working with parents. These tools are especially useful for times when a student (or parent) claims that they were never good in a particular subject. Share ideas with your peers as part of your ongoing professional development, discuss ideas from this site and how they can be incorporated as part of a school-wide action. Take advantage of the many ideas featured in the Popular Practices section to learn how to use ideas in any classroom.

Increase math confidence and outcomes through a growth mindset with many resources located at With Math I Can. Research demonstrates that students who believe their abilities can grow and change, achieve higher than those who think they have a fixed ability. Choose from resources for the classroom, your district, and at home to begin. Each of the sections includes videos and links to resources for learning about the growth mindset and its components.

In the Classroom

This site is perfect for teachers, families, and students who lack confidence in math. Use the classroom resources on your interactive whiteboard or projector to demonstrate and teach students lessons on perseverance, grit, and more. Include activities as part of your professional development as you discuss math curriculum during staff meetings. Be sure to share the at home resources with parents on your class website, include parents by sharing stories from your classroom as students work on developing their growth mindset.

Take a stand against bullying with practical ideas and information from Bystander Revolution. Choose the All Videos link to filter solutions from different perspectives, or filter by specific problems or solutions. Most videos run less than two minutes in length. The presenters include well-known celebrities as well as "typical" students. Sign up for the weekly newsletter that includes a simple transformative task to complete each week along with other helpful tips and videos. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Use an interactive whiteboard or projector to talk to your class about bullying with these videos. Use this discussion to prompt a journal entry, skit, or other personal response on the topic of bullying and how to handle it. Provide this link for parents to view at home with their students. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create their own videos addressing bullying issues. Start with Amazon Storybuilder, reviewed here, for students to plan their skit. Share them on a site such as SchoolTube, reviewed here. Be sure to share this site with your school's counselors and anyone else who deals with students who are being bullied.

Do Your Homework Arizona is a free tool for helping parents understand Common Core Math and English Standards in grades K-8. Search by keyword or explore by grade level and content. Links provide a definition and explanation of each standard and most include an additional link to a practice activity or suggestions for practicing the standard at home. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Although created for Arizona parents, all content is aligned to Common Core Standards. Share a link to the site on your class webpage for parents to access on their own. Share information from the site during parent conferences or Meet the Teacher Events to help parents understand standards.

Milestones offers a collection of videos demonstrating grade-level expectations for Kindergarten through middle school. Choose a grade to start. Select a video from the different categories offered, including reading, math, and writing. These short videos run about a minute in length and provide an excellent look at the successful accomplishment of grade level goals. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Milestones is perfect for sharing with parents to explain grade-level goals and expectations. Share a link on your class web page or blog for parents to access at any time. Share one or two videos during your meet the teacher night or with individual parents during conferences.

Thrively is a free tool that gives strengths and interests assessments in an engaging and entertaining way. Based on 23 factors and developed for children, you receive a profile that is personal, positive, and celebrates each child's core strengths and unique talents. Children, teachers, and parents all have a dashboard displaying activities and videos selected specifically for the child's strengths and interests. Explore a comprehensive activity index with over 120,000 activities and hundreds of videos designed to inspire. The videos feature interesting ideas, leaders, and a range of insights into careers and opportunities that are a good fit for the child's unique strengths. The Activity Boards are a way to discover and research the activities and collect them all in one place. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Begin your school year with a more personal touch, by knowing what your students' interests are. On the teacher dashboard, examine each student and match interest to activities to differentiate instruction. Students can explore careers, apps, and activities matching their profile. With interest and strengths targeted, you can sail smoothly into a highly engaged class of individualized learning. During career explorations, open up worlds of possibilities for students and families to begin planning a successful path. Add a link to this tool to your class website for possible enrichment activities for families. Offer suggestions to parents for enriching after school activities found around your area.

The 180 Days Challenge is based on the PBS series 180 Days: Hartsville documentary. Take the challenge as a teacher, administrator, or parent to answer problem-based scenarios related to education. After completion, view results that provide insight into your education style and how it relates to the current educational climate. In addition to the challenge questions, this site includes several video excerpts from the series featuring events such as conferences and a discussion of generational poverty. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Take the 180 Days Challenge as part of your professional development activities. Use individual scenarios as a prompt for discussions within your school or grade level. Be sure to share this site with other teachers and administrators as part of your ongoing teaching discussions. Use videos found on the 180 Days Challenge to discuss how your school handles different classroom situations.